How I travel
Theactor,authorandpodcasthostsharesherloveof
Darwin, memories of seminal road trips and travel tips.Miranda Tapsell
GOURMET TRAVELLER 33INTERVIEW JORDAN KRETCHMER. PHOTOGRAPHY JOHNNY DIAZ NICOLAIDIS.
I liveinMelbournewithmyhusband,James.While
I lovehowclose-knitMelbournecanbe,I feelvery
groundedwheneverI gobackhometoDarwin.It’s
notonlythechangeofpacebutthewholementality
ofthepeoplethere.It forcesyoutoslowdownand
takestockofyourlife.It’simportantformetogoback
there – I find that it really benefits my mental health.RecentlywewenttotheMorningtonPeninsula- myhusbandtookmetherebecauseheknows
I’ma saltwatergirl.It wassucha beautifulplace
andit’sreallymademeappreciatelivinginVictoria - it’snicetoknowthatI can get out of the city and
enjoy these road trips.
OneofthemostspecialroadtripsI’vetakenwas
whenI wasa partoftheActorsatWorkprogramfor
theBellShakespeare.We’dvisitregionalschoolsand
Aboriginalcommunitiestoperform.Wealldrove
togetherfromAliceSpringsuptoDarwin– justseeing
the landscape of the desert change was really special.Oneofmytipsforwhenyou’reexploringtheTopEnd
is tohavea bitofa Spanishmentalitywhenit comes
tohowyouspendyourday.Whenyou’revisitingplaces
likeNourlangieRock,KatherineGorgeinNitmiluk
orYellowWater(Ngurrungurrudjba)inKakaduyou
havetomakesureyougetupreallyearly.Thelightis
different,thewildlifeis outandit’ssopeacefuland
tranquil,plusthesunisn’tasharsh.Then,youcan
getmostofyourbushwalkingandexploringdone
beforethemiddleoftheday.Afterthisyougoback
towhereveryou’restayingandchilloutorhavea siesta
until you can come out again in thelateafternoon.TheTiwiIslandsarealsospecialforme.Lasttime
I wentthere,I wasontheferryovertoWurrumiyanga,
andallthesepeoplecameuptomeandtoldmethey
watchedmyfilm,TopEndWedding, andit madethem
wanttogothere.WhatmakestheTiwisospecialis the
art, the song and the knowledge they have to share.Myfriendandco-starUrsulaYovichgavemea handy
traveltip– wheneveryou’retravellingforwork,askif
youcanpushyourflightbackfurtherandstickaround
afterwardstoexplore.I didthatafterTheSapphires
wenttotheTorontoFilmFestival.It wasgreatbecause
I gottogotoBroadwayshowsandjustwanderaround
thecity.It reallyreinvigoratesyou personally as well as
enhancing you professionally.I’vealwayswantedtodothefull-daydrivefromDarwin
toBroome.WhenI wasyoungerI remembermissing
outwhenfriendsdidthistripbecauseI wasauditioning
for drama school. I also really want to visitNewZealand.I’veneverreallyconsideredmyselfa foodie,butrecently
I’vestartedtorealisethatwithallofthebeautiful
SouthAsianfoodthatI grewupwith,I actuallyam
a bitofa foodsnob.WhenI wenttoVietnamformy
honeymoon,thefoodwassoamazing.I lovedvisiting
theplacesAnthonyBourdainwenttoinHanoi.We
alsowenttotherestaurantwhereheandBarack
Obamahaddinedandatebunchawithsomebeers- there was such a vibrantatmospherethere.
Forourpodcast,Debutante,myco-hostNakkiah
LuiandI travelledtoMinnesotaandmetsome
localOjibweandDakotawomen.Theyarethe
traditionalownersofthatarea.Whatwasamazing
waswefoundsomuchcommongroundwithnative
AmericanwomenandAfricanAmericanwomen.
It’snottosaythatourexperiencesareexactlythe
same,butit wasstillsoemboldening.Therewere
momentswhereourheartswerebreakingbut
openingatthesametime.Therewassomething
reallysolidifyinginwhoweareasAboriginalwomen,
tofeelvalidatedbecauseourexperiencesresonated
with these women. I can’t wait to go back.●Miranda’smemoir,TopEndGirl(Hachette;$32.99)is outnow.
HerpodcastwithNakkiahLui,Debutante:Race,Resistance
and Girl Power,is available on Audible Original.TRAVELLING WITH